


Academy

by Thixotrofic



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, High School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 05:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18161969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thixotrofic/pseuds/Thixotrofic





	Academy

The opening day was more of a festival than an orientation. Following the welcoming speeches of the school administrators and various government officials, the two classes of second years went off to change into their athletic clothing and prepare for the twenty-person relay race, the inaugural event for the inter-class competition which spanned the entirety of the trimester. 

Anzu watched as they split off into two groups on the green in the middle of the track, unsure of what to make of all the proceedings. She had expected an introduction to her classmates and teachers, perhaps some of the clubs available at the school. However, given her vague sense of the importance of tradition to her new school, she decided an athletic festival on the very first day was not entirely unusual, even if it did only involve a third of the total student body.

In the stands, there were one hundred twenty chairs exactly, with years arranged horizontally. Beyond the empty middle section, she spotted the third years who appeared relaxed and sociable. The seating for each grade was split into two halves of twenty by a set of stairs. The first years were seated in alphabetical order, since they had yet to receive their class assignments. 

The third years, despite having just been randomized into their two classes already, seemed familiar with many of their classmates, with a few who had selected seats adjacent to the median so they could talk across the aisle. It reassured her that the inter-year competitions would not be too serious, which worried her when she heard about how important they were in the tradition of the school.

The brown-haired girl to her left was turned away, in conversation with her other neighbor. To her right, a girl with short black hair, higher than her shoulders seemed to be studying the race. 

“Hi, I’m Anzu.”

The girl she had addressed turned away from the race briefly with an extremely faint smile. Her eyes were looking at Anzu, but her mind was clearly still on the race.

“Hiroyo. Do you know anything about the second years?”

Anzu looked over all the unfamiliar students on the field.

“No, I don’t know anybody here.”

“Do you see that girl?” Hiroyo nodded her head towards one of the groups of girls on the field. A girl with long, red hair tied in a ponytail was speaking and most of the class seemed to be attending to her, though some were involved in side conversations or stretching on the edges of the huddle.

“She’s probably going to be the head of that class. She looks like a runner too, wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the anchor.”

“The anchor?”

“The person who runs the last leg of a relay. Almost always the fastest.”

Anzu couldn’t gleam that much information about somebody from so far away, or even up close, for that matter, but she agreed that the red-haired girl seemed to have a strong presence.

“Did you do track and field in middle school?”

“Yeah, I competed. Hope to keep running, too.”

Hiroyo was focused on the proceedings on the field, but Anzu briefly took a moment to study her expression as she considered the situation she was in. She knew little about the high school she was now attending, except that it was very competitive, and in a particular way. Students didn’t get in on just good grades, they had to have some skill or skills they had honed, maybe even perfected, during middle school. Anzu had received her share of accolades in schools and science competitions as well as praise from teachers and her parents, but she never thought of herself as particularly special. Her uncertainty about the new environment were, of course, in addition to the usual worries anybody has on their first day of high school. The long bus ride away from the nearest city to the school grounds gave her plenty of time to dwell on such thoughts.

The school, for all the difficulty it took to get accepted, wasn’t particularly well-known. It advertised neither its facilities or accomplishments, nor its alumni or faculty, who generally kept quiet about their association. Exceptional students across the country would get a plain letter suggesting that they apply, but Academy, as it was often called, was a boarding school basically unknown to all but the a select few rising high school students to whom the school was in any way relevant.

What feeling was she experiencing as she recalled what had led to her being here? Excitement? Anxiety, maybe dread? The same feelings that filled her when she had officially declared her intention to attend Academy?

Maybe it was better, Anzu resolved, if she could manage it, to enjoy the festivities and not worry about the uncertain year ahead of her.


End file.
